This Kansas City business has closed. KS.City keeps its page on the record.

In memoriam. LaPez Mod Mex was a short-lived upscale modern-Mexican restaurant in Leawood’s Park Place dining district, opened September 2025 and closed by ~May 2026 — less than a year in operation. It was the Kansas City-metro venture of St. Louis restaurateurs Adam and Jason Tilford (Mission Taco Joint / Session Taco), reviving the “knife-and-fork” modern-Mexican concept of their former award-winning St. Louis restaurant Milagro Modern Mexican. This page records a brief but ambitious chapter at 11563 Ash St. Classified Tier 2 — St. Louis-based group ownership, not a deeply-local KC independent.

Description

LaPez Mod Mex was an upscale modern-Mexican restaurant in the Park Place shopping and dining district of Leawood, Kansas, at 11563 Ash St.12 Where most of owners Adam and Jason Tilford’s prior concepts traded in casual, hand-held Cali-Mex tacos, LaPez was explicitly the opposite — what Adam Tilford described as “more entree-driven, more knife-and-fork-plus,” a destination Mexican restaurant built around wood-fired cooking and refined plating.3

The menu spotlighted modern interpretations of traditional Mexican cuisine with Spanish influences: dishes such as shrimp al pastor (jumbo prawns, achiote butter, smoked pineapple, coconut rice, grilled chayote), wood-grilled prime carne asada with huitlacoche butter and chile mashed potatoes, chile-braised short ribs with mole negro and roasted polenta, and chicken mole, alongside starters like blue-corn sopes with duck confit and chile-seared tuna tostaditas.23 The bar ran a craft-cocktail program — margaritas, mezcal old-fashioneds — backed by a wine list drawn from Spain, South America, France, and Italy.2 The concept consciously revived the Tilfords’ former St. Louis restaurant Milagro Modern Mexican, which they had run for roughly eight years.34

Menu (historical / representative)

Provenance note. The Leawood LaPez closed in 2026 (see Closure). The structured menu below is a historical record of the concept, transcribed from the official food and cocktail/wine menus of the Tilfords’ still-operating St. Louis (Central West End) LaPez Mod Mex — the same owners, chef (Jason Tilford), and “mod Mex” concept. It is representative of what the Leawood location served; prices are the St. Louis location’s. The exact Leawood-specific menu/prices at closure are “. Chef/Owner Jason Tilford; GM Aimee Boss; Bar Manager Sidney Snyder.5

Botanas — Del Tierra

  • Salsa — wood-roasted tomatillo-jalapeño salsa, warm tortilla chips ($4)5
  • Guacamole — avocado, sea salt, smoked blue cheese, bacon, chipotle oil, tortilla & plantain chips ($12)5
  • Tortilla Soup — rich chile broth, smoked chicken, tortilla strips, chihuahua cheese, micro cilantro ($8)5
  • Wood Grilled Vegetables — whipped goat cheese, pistachio mole, chipotle oil, crispy sweet potato, warm corn tortillas ($14)5
  • Albondigas — chorizo meatballs, sherry cream sauce, cotija, salsa macha, corn tortillas ($14)5
  • Papas Bravas — crisp russet potatoes, roasted tomato-morita sauce, lime aioli, cotija, chives ($13)5
  • Fundido — blistered chihuahua cheese, squash blossom, huitlacoche, micro epazote, chile oil, corn tortillas ($14)5
  • Quesadillas — Mexico City-style crisp corn turnovers, smoked chicken, Oaxaca cheese, roasted poblano, avocado crema, salsa macha, cotija ($16)5
  • Duck Taquitos — crispy rolled tacos, duck confit, caramelized onions, chihuahua cheese, crema, tamarind ancho sauce, cotija ($16)5

Botanas — Del Mar

  • Shrimp Bisque — sherry, chives, citrus oil ($9)5
  • Crab Cakes — lump blue crab, roasted corn salsita, poblano cream, chipotle oil ($20)5
  • Oysters — grilled east-coast oysters, chile-mezcal butter, bacon dust, salsa macha, micro cilantro ($17)5
  • Lobster Tacos — bacon-fat-fried lobster, tarragon aioli, pickled shallot, smoked pineapple pico, micro greens, flour tortilla ($18)5
  • Tuna Ceviche — habanero passion-fruit juice, jicama, avocado, mango salsa, citrus oil, cilantro, toasted pepitas, chips ($18)5
  • Hamachi Crudo — sushi-grade yellowtail, aguachile verde, Spanish olives, pickled shallot, jalapeño, toasted sesame ($20)5
  • Shrimp Coctel — red shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salted lavash crackers ($16)5

Enchiladas (with smashed pinto beans and jicama salad)

  • Chicken — shredded chicken tinga, chihuahua cheese, charred tomato-chile sauce, crema ($18)5
  • Sweet Potato — macha-roasted sweet potato hash, tequila-soaked raisins, toasted pepitas, citrus oil, roasted tomato-morita sauce ($19)5
  • Beef — chile-braised short-rib barbacoa, chihuahua cheese, pistachio mole, pickled shallot ($20)5
  • Baja — shrimp and crab, Oaxaca cheese, chipotle-sherry cream sauce, roasted corn salsita, crema ($20)5

Platos Fuerte

  • Diablo Shrimp — jumbo Argentine red shrimp, roasted tomato-chipotle sauce, toasted fideos, citrus oil, roasted corn salsita ($28)5
  • Carne Asada — chile-grilled Ruth Family Farms skirt steak, crispy pasilla potatoes, achiote mezcal butter, poblano rajas ($28)5
  • Pollo Lapez — pan-roasted chicken breast, huitlacoche-goat cheese filling, wood-grilled wild mushrooms, roasted poblano polenta, epazote jus ($26)5
  • Huachinango Veracruzana — pan-roasted red snapper, salsa Veracruz, Spanish olive-caper relish, wood-grilled vegetables ($28)5
  • Chile Relleno — beer-battered poblano, Oaxaca cheese & roasted corn, chipotle rice, roasted tomato-morita sauce, cotija ($20)5
  • Fish Tacos — flash-fried Pacific cod, mostaza aioli, field greens, avocado crema, radish, corn tortilla, Mexican street corn ($20)5
  • Chuleta — achiote-citrus-seared Berkshire pork chop, blood-orange-habanero glaze, hibiscus pickled shallot, rum-glazed plantains ($28)5
  • Steak Lapez — grilled chile-rubbed beef tenderloin medallions, smoked blue cheese butter, Argentine red shrimp, chile mashed potatoes, diablo sauce, grilled onion ($32)5

Cocktails

  • Margarita — Libélula Joven tequila, Nobleton’s curaçao, lime, agave ($12)5
  • Not Another Word — Por Siempre sotol, D’aristi Xtabentún, Luxardo maraschino, lime ($14)5
  • Lapez Sangria — rosé wine, Pamplemousse Rose, lemon, strawberry, coconut ($15)5
  • The Charred Pineapple — Prolijo mezcal, charred pineapple syrup, lemon, egg white, Peychaud’s ($14)5
  • Back In My Day — Banhez mezcal, árbol-infused Libélula añejo tequila, charred pineapple syrup, bitters ($13)5
  • Fogo Verde — Abelha cachaça, ginger-serrano syrup, lime ($12)5
  • Carajillo — Libélula añejo tequila, Licor 43, cold brew ($15)5
  • Saturn — Rieger’s gin, Falernum, orgeat, passion-fruit syrup, lemon ($15)5
  • Lavender Dama — agave spirit, Banhez mezcal, lime, lavender agave, grapefruit bitters, egg white ($13)5
  • Beachside Spritz — 1220 Origin gin, limoncello, crème de cassis, lemon, prosecco ($14)5
  • N/A cocktails: Soberita ($8), Island Essence ($8), N/A Spritz ($9), I’m a Little Old Fashioned ($8), N/A 75 ($9), Piña Not Quite Lada ($7)5

Wine

A Spain / South America / France / Italy–focused list by the glass and bottle — sparkling (Prosecco, Cava), rosé, whites (Rías Baixas Albariño, Gruner Veltliner, Sancerre), and reds (Rioja Tempranillo, Priorat Garnacha, Chianti Classico, Napa Cabernet).5

Ownership and history

LaPez Mod Mex was owned and operated by brothers Adam and Jason Tilford of St. Louis, Missouri — the same team behind Mission Taco Joint (founded 2013) and its rebranded successor Session Taco.13 Jason Tilford led the kitchen and concept, describing the upscale Mexican format as a long-held ambition: “This type of food has always just been my love… It’s just been a long time coming.”2

The Leawood site had a layered Tilford history. The brothers first opened Mission Taco Joint at 11563 Ash St. in June 2023; it rebranded to Session Taco in September 2024 after a trademark settlement with Gruma Corporation (Mission Foods).14 That casual taco concept underperformed and closed in mid-March 2025.13 Rather than abandon the space, the Tilfords re-tenanted it themselves with the more ambitious LaPez concept, which opened in September 2025.12 (Earlier, pre-Tilford tenants of the space included Ingredient True Eatery and The Ainsworth.)3

The “LaPez” name and “Mod Mex” concept were also deployed at a sibling location in St. Louis’s Central West End, where the Tilfords converted a Session Taco into a LaPez Mod Mex around the same period.6 The St. Louis location and the Leawood location were distinct operations; this page concerns the Leawood, KS restaurant.

Local-ownership assessment: LaPez was not a deeply-local Kansas City independent. Both the ownership locus and the company base were in St. Louis, and the concept was part of a multi-location regional group. That places it outside the deeply-local / born-and-raised criteria for Tier 1.

Closure

LaPez Mod Mex’s Leawood location closed in late May / early June 2026, after roughly eight months of operation. The closure was confirmed in dedicated press coverage on June 1, 2026 by the Johnson County Post, with co-owner Adam Tilford citing insufficient business volume: “We had good reviews and were very happy with the product and service we provided. We just couldn’t get enough business to sustain operations any longer.”7 The restaurant had earlier been listed as CLOSED on its Yelp business page (title updated May 2026).8 The short tenure echoes the underperformance that had closed the predecessor Session Taco at the same address a year earlier.13

The Tilfords’ separately-operated St. Louis LaPez Mod Mex (Central West End) is a distinct business and its status is tracked elsewhere; its operation does not bear on the Leawood closure recorded here.6

Legacy

LaPez Mod Mex is a record of an ambitious, short-lived swing at upscale modern-Mexican dining in suburban Johnson County. Its brief life is notable on a few counts:

  • It was a rare attempt to bring a refined, entree-driven, wood-fired Mexican format — rather than the now-ubiquitous fast-casual taco model — to the Park Place dining district, consciously reviving the Tilfords’ acclaimed St. Louis Milagro Modern Mexican.3
  • It marked the second consecutive Tilford concept to close at 11563 Ash St. within roughly three years (Mission Taco → Session Taco → LaPez), a cautionary data point about that specific Leawood space and about upscale Mexican demand in the submarket.13
  • As a closed business under out-of-state group ownership, it sits in the Registry as a historical / in-memoriam entry rather than an active local-business listing.

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Johnson County Post — “Former taco spot to become ‘modern’ Mexican eatery in Leawood.” 2025-05-15. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/05/15/taco-spot-closed-in-leawood-this-year-its-owners-are-cooking-up-something-new-259678/. Source asserts: Session Taco (formerly Mission Taco Joint, opened June 2023; rebranded Sept 2024) closed mid-March 2025 due to underperforming sales; Tilford brothers re-tenanting the 11563 Ash St. space with LaPez Mod Mex; address; Park Place. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  2. Johnson County Post — “New Mexican eatery, LaPez Mod Mex, opens in Leawood.” 2025-09-18. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/09/18/lapez-mod-mex-leawood-268703/. Source asserts: opened Wed., Sept. 17–18, 2025; owners Jason and Adam Tilford; address 11563 Ash St., Park Place; modern Mexican w/ Spanish influences; menu (shrimp al pastor, carne asada, short ribs, mole); cocktail + wine program; Jason Tilford quote; Milagro connection. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. Startland News — “Brothers behind Session Taco launching ‘destination Mexican spot’ in upscale JoCo dining district.” 2025-05. https://startlandnews.com/2025/05/session-taco-lapez-mod-mex/. Source asserts: “more entree-driven / knife-and-fork-plus” concept (Adam Tilford quote); wood-fired cooking; full menu detail; site history incl. Ingredient True Eatery and The Ainsworth; Milagro Modern Mexican operated ~8 years in St. Louis; summer-2025 opening target. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  4. KCUR (NPR Kansas City) — “Missouri-based Mission Taco rebrands as Session Taco after lawsuit from tortilla company.” 2024-09-10. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-09-10/mission-taco-session-kansas-city-st-louis-trademark-lawsuit. Source asserts: St. Louis-based Tilford ownership; Mission Taco Joint founded 2013; Gruma/Mission Foods trademark suit and 2024 rebrand to Session Taco; KC + St. Louis locations. (Establishes ownership locus and group history.) ↩ ↩2

  5. LaPez Mod Mex (Central West End, St. Louis) — official Food Menu (v1) and Cocktail/Wine List (v1), provided 2026-07-12. Source for the historical/representative menu above: full food menu (Botanas Del Tierra & Del Mar, Enchiladas, Platos Fuerte) with descriptions and prices; cocktail, N/A-cocktail, and wine lists; staff (Chef/Owner Jason Tilford, GM Aimee Boss, Bar Manager Sidney Snyder). This is the still-operating St. Louis sibling of the closed Leawood location — same owners/chef/concept; used here as a representative record of the Leawood menu. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41

  6. Sauce Magazine — “Lapez Mod Mex will replace Session Taco in the Central West End.” https://www.saucemagazine.com/topic/places-topic/lapez-mod-mex-will-replace-session-taco-in-the-central-west-end/. Source asserts: a separate St. Louis (Central West End) LaPez Mod Mex location, a Session Taco conversion — distinct from the Leawood restaurant. ↩ ↩2

  7. Johnson County Post — “‘Modern’ Mexican eatery LaPez Mod Mex closes in Leawood.” 2026-06-01. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2026/06/01/lapez-mod-mex-closes-leawood-287544/. Accessed 2026-06-23. Source asserts: LaPez Mod Mex closed after ~8 months (opened Sept 2025); address 11563 Ash St., Park Place; co-owner Adam Tilford attributes closure to insufficient business volume (“couldn’t get enough business to sustain operations”); second consecutive owner concept to close at the site after Session Taco (spring 2025). (Primary confirmed-closure source.) ↩

  8. Yelp — “LaPez Mod Mex,” 11563 Ash St., Leawood, KS. https://www.yelp.com/biz/lapez-mod-mex-leawood. Source asserts: business listed as CLOSED; listing title updated May 2026; 43 photos, 27 reviews; Mexican cuisine; Leawood address. (Early basis for the closure determination, since superseded by dedicated press coverage.) ↩

See also

Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/lapez-mod-mex · record updated 2026-07-17